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It’s the pizza chain on the rise in the U.S. and in Houston, too, apparently.   MOD Pizza will open 11 new locations in H-town this year, bringing its total in the metro to 15, according to Transwestern, which served as the leasing agent. The fast-casual chain is well on its way to 200 locations, with for 50 new shops in 2016.   MOD Pizza’s $65 million in sales represented a 21% increase in 2015, making it the fastest-growing new food chain in the U.S., according to Nation’s Restaurant News.

The Northfield Crossing Shopping Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that featured a Hastings Entertainment store has been purchased by Baker Storey McDonald Properties on behalf of an unnamed client. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.   Meanwhile, RCS Real Estate Advisors announced it would be auctioning off 120-plus store leases for the bankrupted music, movie, and video game retailer. The chain’s inventory was purchased by Hilco Merchant Resourses and Gordon Bros. Retail Partners in a Chapter 11 filing.   

In what it says is part of an expansion into the western United States, New York-based Time Equities Inc. (TEI) purchased the Newgate Mall in Ogden, Utah from General Growth Properties for $69.5 million.   The 718,035-sq.-ft. mall is anchored by Burlington Coat Factory, Cinemark, Dillard’s, and Sears. TEI reports it is 98% leased with approximately 100 tenants. Bath & Body Works, Kay Jewelers, Gymboree, and Victoria’s Secret are among those on the roster.  

PREIT announced it had completed the sale of the Washington Crown Center in Washington, Pennsylvania, to the Kohan Retail Investment Group for $20 million. The 674,000-sq.-ft. mall — 25 miles south of Pittsburgh on I-70 — is anchored by Bon-Ton, Macy's, Gander Mountain, and Sears.   

Two long-tenured retail real estate veterans have joined CBRE Group’s retail services teams in key Ohio markets.    New to CBRE’s Cincinnati office is Melissa Ruther, whose 15-year career has included stints in both leasing and tenant representation at Anchor Associates, Edge Real Estate Group, and most recently JLL. A CBRE press release made note of her strong relationships with retailers, developers, and the brokerage community.  

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc., acquired 100% ownership of Tanger Outlets Savannah, adjacent to the Savannah International Airport. The deal it made with its lone partner in the 420,000-sq.-ft. center included a $15 million cash payment and assignment of all outparcels on the property.   "The center is currently 99% occupied and is undergoing a second expansion to accommodate retailer demand for space," said Steven B. Tanger, president and CEO.   

Crosslands Shopping Center, a joint development of Tupperware Brands and O’Connor Capital Partners, has been sold for $121 million just two years after opening in Kissimmee, Florida, according to a report in the Orlando Business Sentinel.   The Hampshire Companies, a New Jersey-based real estate firm, announced that it had acquired the center on behalf of an unnamed foreign investor. Crosslands is located within the Osceola Corporate Center, not far from Tupperware headquarters in Orlando.  

Chicago-based Newport Capital Partners purchased a 69,749-sq.-ft. center anchored by Pick ‘n Save the Milwaukee area. Terms of the deal, brokered by Mid-American Real Estate Corp., were not disclosed.    Other tenants in the center at the Intersection of I-41/45 and Mayfair Road in Wauwatosa include Firehouse Subs, Mattress Firm, and Supercuts. The sellers were New York-based DRA Advisors and Atlanta-based RCG Partners.